Things to do & Old Memories
Sydney is
the prime Australian tourist destination. And no wonder, with its fabulous harbour,
Opera house, Bridge, Taronga Zoo and lovely city skyline.
In 1999
we drove back across the Nullarbor to Sydney as my mum was sick and we needed to
look after her. This blog is all about
old memories as well as things to do in Sydney along with short holidays
outside of Sydney. As usual, I will
place links on some of the headings for you to check out if you are interested.
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MEMORIES
I moved
to Sydney from Brisbane when I was 16. Mum
and dad were getting older and wanted the family to be closer together. My brother and his family lived in Sydney and
I think dad was getting tired of the drive at least once a year from Brisbane
to Sydney.
Sydney
was where I met hubby.
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Hubby and
I bought our first house at a place called Kincumber on the Central Coast. We both worked in Sydney so that meant long
days travelling 1 1/2hrs each way on the train. It was pretty cool having our
first house, even though we couldn't afford to carpet some of the rooms.
Living near the beach was great too. Avoca and Copacabana beaches were the closest.
Our daughter Kelli was born here at Gosford
hospital.
Things
were going pretty good until the interest rates went up to 18 3/4 percent. That killed us and we had no quality of life, just
stress. So we sold up and moved on for a
much simpler and happier lifestyle. See my 1990 Nimbin blog.
These
days we are much happy to rent which is so much cheaper. The extra cash allows us to live more
comfortably and subsidises our travel addiction.
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Aussirose
last day at work in the Freight Department of Sydney Railways in an office
above Central Station
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Things to do in Sydney
In no particular order.
CENTRAL COAST
The
Central Coast is a good getaway from Sydney. There are a number of beaches that add to a
great summer holiday. Click on the link
above to check out all of the things you can experience around the Central Coast.
Our
favourite beaches were Avoca and Macmasters. And for secluded beaches, head to Bouddi Beach
in the National Park or Killcare Beach. The beach at Bateau Bay has nice big rolling
waves without the rippy whitewash. The
entrance is nice for buying fish and chips then walking across the road where
the beach meets the estuary for a picnic. Terrigal is nice for an afternoon swim and
then dining at one of the fabulous restaurants.
Our
favourite place to eat close to home was Hardys Bay Club. This is where we took our VT friends on the big Virtualtourist meet in 2016. See my blog.
If you
are driving to the Central Coast, I suggest that you take the longer detour and
drive via Wisemans Ferry. It is a pretty
place. Years ago we would go to Wisemans
Ferry to go horse riding. A lovely place
along the Hawkesbury River.
Speaking
of the Hawkesbury River, it's worth making a stop here as well. If heading to Gosford by train, keep your eyes
peeled after going through the long tunnel. When you come out the other side you are
greeted with stunning views over the Hawkesbury River.
In fact the Hawkesbury River itself is a great
holiday destination.
You can stay on a houseboat which is fun.
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MANLY
In my view Manly is better than Bondi.
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TARONGA ZOO
Taronga Zoo with the best views overlooking Sydney Harbour.
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THE ROCKS
Cobbled
stone streets, Victorian buildings, markets and restaurants.
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CIRCULAR QUAY
Restaurants,
buskers, ferry terminals, Opera House and
Harbour Bridge.
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Just for fun 😄
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BOTANICAL GARDENS
Take
time out for a picnic. Located near the
Opera House.
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QUEEN VICTORIA BUILDING
Walk
through an iconic shopping mall.
You can walk through from Town Hall Train Station.
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STRAND ARCADE
Puts
our Perth London Court to shame.
A touch of London in the middle of the city.
Elegant décor.
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WATSONS BAY
A fabulous place to have lunch with gorgeoous views over the bay.
Just a short ferry ride from Circular Quay.
The famous Doyles Restaurant is here too, but I think Watsons Bay Hotel is better.
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BLUE MOUNTAINS
3 Sisters,
Scenic World and caves.
To get to the Blue Mountains, take the train to Katoomba and get a bus to Scenic World.
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CRUISING OUT OF SYDNEY
Sydney is
also the place to go for cruising the south pacific.
It's a magical feeling sailing out of the most prettiest harbour in the world at sunset.
See my 2016 Sydney and South Pacific blog.
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SHORT HOLIDAYS OUT OF SYDNEY
This blog
is more about old memories.
However as
usual I will provide links to these places and things to see and do.
Below are
4 different holiday destinations no more then 4 hours from Sydney. I suggest that you stay at least 2 to 3 days
at your destination choice in order to enjoy the country surroundings.
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GOULBURN YURT FARM
This is a
great little family holiday.
Overseas
visitors especially love it here because you get to experience Aussie farm life
and enjoy home cooked meals with fresh ingredients.
The most
unique thing here though is the accommodation.
Yurts.
Click the above to learn all about them.
We stayed
here with a view to seeing what it would be like to stay in a yurt. We were thinking of building our own yurt when
we made the big move to Nimbin up northern NSW.
The thing I loved the most was
viewing the stars through the big dome in the middle of the roof.
Yurts are an interesting way to build. There are no internal walls in the round house
and you can add on by keep building around. They come in kit form and are much cheaper
than conventional homes. I like the idea
of using cedar too. I love log homes.
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HUNTER VALLEY - WINE COUNTRY
There are
a number of day trips from Sydney to the Hunter Valley however it's much nicer
and more relaxed to stay in the valley.
We have stayed twice.
The first time at Belford cabins in the bush
and another time at the hunter resort in small apartment like accommodation.
Both have their advantages.
BELFORD COUNTRY CABINS
A lot of
fabulous improvements since we visited.
BALLOONS ALOFT - HUNTER
What a place to do our first balloon flight! WoW!!
Flying over the Vineyards at dawn. It was stunning! 😍
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HUNTER RESORT
Looks so
much more sophisticated since we were here but still a good price.
Hubby and
I did a wine appreciation course here and still have our certificate.
My
favourite wineries are Constable & Herson for white and blueberry hill for
red. Draytons is good for a tawny port.
Forget Lindemans and McWilliams. Funny how the wineries us local Aussies are not fussed with sell so well overseas. All the more reason to visit and taste our boutique wines which are so much better.
Mistletoe
Winery has a nice rose. Mistletoe
hanging off the trees in the area is pretty, however the plant is classed as a
weed because it attaches to a host tree and sucks the life out of it, bit like
the strangler fig. However it does have
a part to play in providing nutritious food for koalas, bats, butterflies and
birds etc.
Belford has the smallest Railway Station I have ever seen! 😏
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TAMWORTH
Just one
last recommendation. If you love country
music, then you should consider going to Tamworth (the home of the big guitar)
for the annual country music festival held in January. It usually coincides
with Australia day end of January. This
is a huge event so you need to book early.
The
festival is on my must do list. We have
visited Tamworth a couple of times as hubby's sister lives there. They own a Freson horse stud.
Tamworth also has some nice activities to do
apart from country music. There is a
great local water hole where the fresh mountain stream runs into and we also
went to a berry farm.
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